Attorney General Becerra: While Trump Ignores Climate Reality, California Will Lead the Way

Thursday, June 1, 2017
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra released the following statement:

“The earth is round, the sky is blue, and climate change is real. Today’s decision by President Trump to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Change Agreement sets forth his lasting legacy of endangering our planet’s health and future generations.

“In California, we’re already experiencing the cost of climate change. Severe droughts have cost our farmers billions of dollars in lost output; rising sea levels will threaten our coastal cities in coming decades; and record-high temperatures are increasing harmful ground-level ozone pollution, which can cause respiratory problems. Regardless of Washington’s inaction, California will continue to lead the way on protecting our planet. We will fight the Trump Administration tooth and nail any time it tries to roll back our progress. The stakes are simply far too high.”

BACKGROUND

Attorney General Becerra has been fighting to protect California’s environment by defending the state’s pollution standards for motor vehicles, defending the historic Clean Power Plan abandoned by the Trump Administration and intervening in a lawsuit to uphold energy efficiency standards, among other actions.

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